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ALEF Aeronautics Model Zero Ultralight (pre-production model)

Model Zero Ultralight passenger eVTOL pre-production model roadable aircraft

(Photo credit: ALEF Aeronautics)

Model Zero Ultralight (pre-production model)
ALEF Aeronautics
San Mateo, California, USA
www.alef.aero

ALEF Aeronautics was founded in 2015 by Jim Dukhovny, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin and Oleg Petrov and is based in San Mateo, California, USA. The company is in the business of designing and developing a road driveable electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flying car for advanced air mobility (AAM). The four founders were inspired to design and build a flying car from watching the 1985 American science fiction film movie, Back to the Future.

Tim Draper, an early investor in Elon Musk's Tesla, Inc. and SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) whose Draper Associates Fund V has backed Alef with $3 million USD in seed money. Alef emerged from stealth in October 2022 with the unveil of its full-sized sports car model along with two working full-size technology demonstrator vehicles. Subscale prototypes were successfully flown by the company in 2016 and a full size prototype was first flown in 2019.

Model Zero Ultralight passenger eVTOL pre-production model roadable aircraft
The Model Zero Ultralight is a one passenger eVTOL pre-production model roadable aircraft. The cockpit is gimballed which keeps the pilot stable during all directions of flight. When in flight, the vehicle's novel design allows the car body to rotate in all directions while the cockpit stays stationary. The company has stated they have flown their prototype aircraft 1,000 times as of October 13, 2026.

The aircraft's cruise speed in flight is 110 mph (177 km/h) and has a range of 110 miles (177 km). The vehicle's ground speed is 25 mph (40 km/h) and has a ground range of 200 miles (321 km). The vehicle has eight propellers, eight electric motors and is powered by battery packs. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite to give the aircraft a high strength to low weight ratio. The vehicle lands on the four ground wheels.

Limited Special Airworthiness Certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
On June 27, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Special Airworthiness Certificate that limits flights to exhibition, research, and development.

Pre-orders
Over 3,500 people have pre-ordered the vehicle at $300,000.00 USD each. The company states they have over 1 billion USD in pre-sale orders.

Manufacturing
In 2023, the company had targeted first deliveries by the end of 2025; however, this goal was not achieved. Alef Aeronautics began hand-building customer cars in December 2025. The company expects to deliver a first batch of the Model Zero Ultralights to a limited number of early buyers by the end of 2026.

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Passenger eVTOL air and ground vehicle (pre-production model)
  • Piloting: 1 pilot and their luggage
  • Capacity: 1 person
  • Air cruising speed: 110 mph (177 km/h)
  • Air range: 110 miles (177 km)
  • Ground speed:  25 mph (40 km/h)
  • Ground range: 200 miles (321 km)
  • Propellers: 8 propellers
  • Electric motors: 8 electric motors
  • Power source: Battery packs
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Window: Canopy over gimballed cockpit
  • Cabin: Rotating enclosed cabin
  • Landing gear: 4 road wheels
  • Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. 

Related Aircraft:

Company Insights:

Resources:

  Forum 83, The Future of Vertical Flight, May 11-13, 2027, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

  The World eVTOL Aircraft Directory with 1,200+ aircraft cataloged!

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